1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a flood protection barrier. In particular, it relates to a flood protection barrier that can be installed to protect premises from an imminent flood risk.
As is well known, rising floodwater can cause extensive damage to the fabric and content of a building with alarming rapidity. Heavy rain and/or high tides can cause rivers to burst their banks and inundate a large area.
Traditionally, there has been little contingency action available to premises owners other than building a defensive barrier of sand bags. Sand bags can act as a reasonably effective filter to remove mud from floodwater. However, these are inconvenient, require a large amount of time and labour to install, can be used only once and, most particularly, they do not act as a good barrier to water entering premises.
2. Summary of the Prior Art
There have been various proposals for barriers to prevent floodwater from entering premises through a door or window opening. However, these typically require permanent installation of fittings (such as mounting channels) to the building in the region of the doorway to which a removable barrier can be connected in use. While such barriers can provide an effective flood defence, many occupiers do not wish to have permanent fixtures mounted on their premises. These fixtures may detract from the appearance of their premises or be otherwise inconvenient on a permanent basis, while they are needed for use only in the event of a flood; an event that may happen only once in many years. It is also apparent that many of these known devices might be subject to theft or tampering whilst in use.
An aim of this invention is to provide a flood protection barrier for a door or other aperture in a building that can be deployed rapidly as and when required, yet leave no (or minimal) fixtures in place while the barrier is not required for use in times of normal weather.
Accordingly, from a first aspect, the invention provides a flood protection barrier that comprises a shield having a sealing element and securing means for securing the shield in place to at least partially close a door or window aperture in a wall of a building, the aperture having a door or window frame; in which: the securing means cooperates with a surface of the building at the periphery of the aperture or the frame, and the sealing element forms a fluid-resistant seal between the barrier the frame at the periphery of the aperture.
Such a barrier can be deployed as and when required to protect against an imminent flood risk.
Advantageously the securing means is carried on the shield. More specifically, the securing means may be entirely carried on the shield. This has a twofold advantage, in that no part of the securing means is left in position on a building when the barrier is not in use, and in that the securing means are unlikely to be misplaced; this being especially important because they may be required for use as a matter of urgency.
For example, it may be adapted to cooperate with the frame. Advantageously, the securing means may be configured to be accessible only from within a building that the barrier is deployed to protect.
This reduces the likelihood that the securing means will be subject to unauthorised tampering. It is advantageous that the barrier, when deployed, does not prevent closure of the door or window. This may be achieved by providing securing means that cooperate with an outer part of the frame or the reveal adjacent to the frame. Alternatively, in the case of embodiments according to the last-preceding paragraph, the securing means may cooperate with an inwardly directed surface in the region of a recess into which the door or window (as the case may be) is received when closed. Provided that the securing means is suitably dimensioned (i.e. thin enough) it will not prevent closure of the door or window, thereby ensuring that the building upon which the barrier is deployed can be secured.
Typically, the securing means includes a plurality of clip means. Each clip means can be deployed to secure the shield to a formation of the frame. Each clip means may be adjustable to enable it to be secured to a range of different frames. For example, it may include two mutually adjustable components, one of which is fixed in relation to the shield.
Most typically, the shield is made of a rigid material, such as suitable plastic, wood or composite material. The shield must have sufficient rigidity to resist pressure of water that it is likely to encounter while distorting by no more than an acceptable amount. The shield may have a generally flat face (or a flat peripheral region of a face) that engages with the periphery of the aperture. An opposite face of the shield may be provided with strengthening formations.
Each shield is advantageously formed with a dimension that is greater than a corresponding dimension of the aperture. Such a shield may be placed against an external surface of the aperture, such that water in contact with the shield acts to push the shield into engagement with the external surface, and thereby assist in locating it in place.
The sealing element may include an elongate flexible plastic material element. A portion of sealing element may extend along part of a flat surface of the shield. Such a portion of the sealing element may engage, in use, with a face portion of a frame (such as a door or window frame) of the aperture. A further portion of the sealing element may extend along part of a peripheral surface of the shield. Such a further portion may engage with a sill or step portion of a frame of the aperture. In addition, such a further portion may engage with a portion of another barrier, for example, such that a plurality of such barriers can be stacked one upon the other in order that a user can select the height of a barrier to be deployed. (That is to say, several such barriers may be placed one on top of another to form a barrier of greater total height.)
From a second aspect, the invention provides a flood barrier assembly comprising a plurality of flood barriers, each according to any preceding claim, disposed adjacent to one another to form a water resistant barrier assembly for an aperture in a wall.